SLOK Crew Rescues Burning Vessel in Nigerian Territorial Waterways

It is suggested that the most heroic of acts often take place when least expected.

Indeed on a morning that began like any other, on Saturday the 12th of July, Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) NEYA III was manning routine operations off of a coastal port in Nigeria, it’s crew unaware of the dangerous rescue mission that they would shortly be called upon to undertake.

However, SLOK SHIPPING prides itself on maintaining a constant state of readiness, ensuring that should this day serve to be one unlike any previous, the men and women of this wholly indigenous enterprise would always be prepared.

An Officer of the Watch (OOW) on duty onboard NEYA III purportedly received the following distress call on VHF radio channel 16; “Fire, fire…we are on fire,” was a cry repeating with a stark urgency, indicating action would have to be taken quickly.

Although the OOW could not identify the station transmitting the distress call, extra duty men were posted on to the bridge on lookout in search of the vessel in likely imminent danger.

The crew team on board NEYA III, indeed a Nigerian-flagged, multi-purpose supply vessel owned and operated by SLOK SHIPPING (a subsidiary of SLOK HOLDING), would follow that call to its port of origin and subsequently, while adhering to rescue protocol to the letter, would save the lives of ten crew members and travellers aboard the MT SANTA MONICA, each leaping from the craft ablaze in Nigerian territorial waterways.

Managing Director of SLOK SHIPPING, Mr. Firas Abboud, confirmed the incident, stating that, “…this was not the first time we offered service at our own great risk within these shared waterways and will surely not be the last; this is the norm for any vessel complying with IMO regulations and this is what we have trained for”.

“We treat our teammates and those who choose to work and often live on water as community members,” he continued. “We dedicate ourselves to acting accordingly as good Samaritans in addition to corporate stewards. That is why we equip all of our vessels with the latest in fire-fighting instruments and man them with competent and highly experienced hands in order to exceed safety standards and regulations”.

“I am happy we were able to save lives. This is further a major boost for local content development and an attestation to the resilience and professionalism of our team. I salute such courageous staff who not only put out the fire that later gutted the ship but also had to swim deeply while doing so, ever-mindful of the risk to rescue the crew on board the MT SANTA MONICA”.

Safety on land and sea, wherever the SLOK name operates, is a shared corporate social responsibility between those in the industry and is one in which SLOK SHIPPING takes great pride in spearheading.